Staff Profiles

STAFF PROFILE: PATSULLIVAN

NATIONAL CHAMPION IS DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING, BUT ALSO MUCH MORE

BY ADAM LUCAS // PHOTOS BY MAGGIE HOBSON

There’s no greater example of the way building a college basketball staff has changed than Hubert Davis’s hiring of Pat Sullivan.

The Bogota, N.J., native is officially Carolina’s director of recruiting. But the first asset Davis mentioned about Sullivan was something very different.

“Coach Sullivan, with his 18 years of NBA experience, has been really neat,” Davis says. “We have so many former North Carolina NBA players that come back in the summer and train here and prepare for the upcoming season and all of them want to work out with Coach Sullivan with his experience in the NBA and getting them ready.”

Davis has said he’s a believer in “relentless” skill development. It turns out that’s not a philosophy that ends with the current team; it extends to the numerous Tar Heels who return to Chapel Hill in the summer. Even in the still somewhat odd summer of 2021, it wasn’t unusual to walk around the Smith Center and bump into Tyler Hansbrough, Coby White, or Theo Pinson. And now they know there’s a Tar Heel on staff dedicated to helping them get in a pro-style workout any time they want it.

Sullivan’s job, then, is fairly simple: he’s going to do a little bit of everything. Which makes it a good fit, because his credentials cover a wide path through every level of basketball.

Tar Heel fans will remember him best as a player, specifically as the forward who knocked in a clutch front end of a one-and-one near the end of the 1993 national championship game. He played in more NCAA Tournament games (19) and more NCAA Tournament wins (17) than any Tar Heel in history, and he’s one of just nine Tar Heels who have played in three Final Fours.

He’s also been a high school head coach, and he worked a season under Dean Smith as an assistant video coordinator before eventually becoming a three-season assistant to head coach Bill Guthridge. Then he began an 18-year odyssey in the NBA that included stops with six different teams in a variety of roles, a journey that exposed him to the philosophies of Larry Brown, Doc Rivers, Lawrence Frank and Randy Wittman, among others.

So Sullivan fits Davis’s stated desire for everyone on his staff to have a Tar Heel background. But his diverse resume also means he has plenty of experience from which to draw, and current players have already noticed the benefits of having someone with two decades of NBA coaching knowledge on staff.

“The addition of Coach Sullivan has been great,” says Armando Bacot. “He’s giving us all advice on the next level and some of the things that they look for, but also trying to get us to incorporate that in our day-to-day life. Like the way pros carry themselves, some of the different workouts and things they do, but also the way they play. We’ve gotten a little insight into that, too, incorporating some of the things he learned into some of the things we do now.”

SEANMAY

TAR HEEL STANDOUT CONNECTS WITH PLAYERS WHILE ALSO TEACHING THEM

BY ADAM LUCAS // PHOTOS BY MAGGIE HOBSON

Early this fall, Sean May was reflecting on Carolina’s summer practice sessions. Around the time school starts, the NCAA permits teams four hours of work per week.

May had been out on the Smith Center court working with the Tar Heel big men when he happened to glance over to the sidelines, where a steady procession of former Carolina players and coaches have watched practice during the Hubert Davis era. Phil Ford has been there. Eddie Fogler was a regular. And, on this day, there was Roy Williams.

May found it strikingly odd that he was out on the court coaching while the Hall of Fame coach was having a conversation on the sidelines. It was a complete role reversal from past years, when May was not allowed to do on-court work in his staff role, while Williams, of course, directed everything that happened.

Now the roles have changed. And while seeing Roy Williams in a spectator role may never seem natural, May is finally in exactly the spot observers have already forecast for him.

Davis has used the word “relentless” to describe his commitment to skill development. And that sort of on-court mentorship is something May has been missing during his time on staff, when his direct player coaching was limited by NCAA rules.

“It’s been hard just having to watch practice and not being able to really say or do anything,” the 2005 Final Four Most Outstanding Player says.

And he quickly showed why he’d be such an asset in teaching and guiding players.

“Having Big May as a coach is a blessing,” says Tar Heel big man Armando Bacot. “He’s one of the smartest players to play at UNC. He always knows the right spots and he’s always giving us pointers, too.”

As a former first-round draft pick and longtime professional player, May has always connected with the players and was somewhat of a conduit to the younger generation with Williams’s staff. Now he’s able to expand that personal connection to an on-court teaching role, where Williams always said May would thrive once given the opportunity.

That pro experience also gives May a window into the style most high school prospects want to play today. His engaging personality makes him a natural in living rooms. But he’s also able to effectively communicate how a Tar Heel playing career can seamlessly translate to the next level.

“The thing I always try to explain to kids is, the way we play is our system,” May says. “How can you manipulate that system to fit your needs and get what you want out of it? I was a below the rim player, but I found ways to be effective. A lot of times it’s understanding when things are happening and doing them before the ball gets to you—work early, as we like to say. It’s easy for me to speak to that.”

STAFF PROFILE: JACKIE MANUEL

KNACK FOR CONNECTING MAKES MANUEL A NATURAL FIT

BY ADAM LUCAS // PHOTOS BY MAGGIE HOBSON

One was a defensive ace who sacrificed his personal shooting statistics for team success as a senior.

One was an offensive standout who admittedly didn’t develop a deep interest in defense until after he left Carolina.

Jackie Manuel and Hubert Davis had very different basketball careers. But in one very important way, they are perfectly suited to work alongside each other on this year’s coaching staff: both are among the very few people about whom you’ll almost never hear someone say something negative.

Manuel didn’t have the same jumper Davis possessed, and Davis couldn’t have locked down an opposing shooter the same way Manuel frequently did. But engage in a conversation with either of them and you’ll quickly find out why they’ve always connected: they listen and they care.

“Hubert is somebody I’ve looked up to for a long time,” Manuel says. “I always thought he’s the most amazing person on this earth. To be working for Hubert, be able to learn from him, and to have a good group to work with—sometimes people take that for granted. But once you move around in this business and realize how hard it is to have special people that you’re working with, you appreciate and value that.”

In his role as director of player and team development, Manuel will have a diverse job description that includes career development, community service, skill development and recruiting details, plus oversight of the annual summer basketball camp. But even a job with that many aspects can be distilled to one simple element: people.

Like Davis, Manuel has a knack for connecting with virtually anyone and with understanding what they need to be successful. He’s prayed with individual Tar Heels before practice sessions. He’s talked defensive nuances with the Carolina guards.

Just like his head coach, Manuel is pleased to be working with the Tar Heels because Chapel Hill is home. He met his wife, Ronda, in Chapel Hill. He’s worked at other basketball stops, including a season playing abroad in Japan and coaching stops at Valparaiso, UNC-Greensboro and UNC-Wilmington.

But he’s always been a Tar Heel. He knows how to make sure that love for the place and the program is apparent to others. And he also realizes the best way to get the most out of the experience is to have a life outside the Smith Center. As Davis says, “Coach Manuel has been terrific with our guys in terms of consistently getting them out in the community and serving.”

“I just love people,” Manuel says. “I love the interaction. Most importantly, I know how my journey was, not knowing anything when I got here and still trying to figure it out when I left. So I’m trying to cut that time in half for them, and give back as much as I can. I want these guys to have as much information as they possibly can to just be better people and better adults. You’re going to learn basketball, but there are things that are also important outside of basketball.”

JEFF LEBO

VETERAN HEAD COACH BRINGS TAR HEEL PEDIGREE AND RESPECTED HOOPS MIND TO THE BENCH

BY ADAM LUCAS // PHOTOS BY MAGGIE HOBSON

Some coaches lobby for jobs. Some coaches prepare an in-depth dossier explaining why they’re the right fit. And some are found while they’re powerwashing their deck on the Crystal Coast.

That’s what Jeff Lebo was doing when Hubert Davis reached him by phone in the days after Davis was named Carolina’s new head coach. The two were Tar Heel teammates during the 1988-89 season, when Lebo was a steady senior guard and Davis was a largely overwhelmed freshman. Both have spent a lifetime in the game since then, and Davis knew instantly Lebo would add the right ingredients to the staff.

“I had to have him,” Davis said. “He was the first person I called when I got the job…I’ve always admired Jeff as a teammate, a friend and a coach. He’s been in the position a number of years of constantly making decisions. I always believe that you have to have diversity in your staff, but you also have to have people on your staff who have been there before.”

It’s become commonplace for younger head coaches to hire an older, veteran head coach as an assistant to provide some wisdom for their staff. Juwan Howard has Phil Martelli at Michigan. Jerry Stackhouse added Ed Conroy at Vanderbilt, and Wes Miller will work with C.B. McGrath this season at Cincinnati.

Lebo isn’t old enough to be “the old guy.” But his coaching experience, including 20 years as a head coach at stops from Tennessee Tech to Auburn (and a career mark 50 games over .500), means he’s familiar with all the in-game snap decisions and adjustments that have to be made. He’s been in halftime locker rooms and had to decide how to stop a hot shooter or attack an unexpected defense.

“I want to serve in any way that they want me to,” Lebo says. “Whatever Coach Davis needs me to do, I hope I can provide. I’ve been a head coach for 20 years and had a lot of different experiences. That move from the assistant seat to the head coaching seat is a big one. I’ve sat in that seat and I’ve made that move. I want to be able to help in any way that he sees I can serve him the best. To be on the staff, to even help some of the younger coaches, and to learn from them, too. I’m a basketball junkie. I love to learn, I love to change and do different things. I love to study the game. Those are things I hope to bring to Coach Davis and his staff.”

Lebo’s technical mind has been praised ever since he was a player, when it was sometimes said that he had perhaps the most Dean Smith-esque view of the game of any of the Smith coaching tree. But it’s also been obvious in his initial months on the job that he’s not just a chalkboard coach. Lebo has been a constant presence around the Smith Center, always available to work out a player or just talk basketball.

“He played here and he was a point guard here,” says R.J. Davis. “So I’m learning a lot from him as far as how to run a team, finding the different angles and different options.”

“He brings things to me that I don’t see,” Hubert Davis says. “And the reason why he can do that is because there’s a huge difference in just moving over one seat. His suggestions are so valuable. I wouldn’t be able to do this job without Coach Lebo.”

STAFF PROFILE: BRADFREDERICK

TAR HEEL ASSISTANT HAS PROVEN TO BE SOLID RECRUITER, SAVVY BENCH COACH

BY ADAM LUCAS // PHOTOS BY MAGGIE HOBSON

In the immediate days following the surprising retirement of Roy Williams, Brad Frederick wasn’t always certain he’d be back in Chapel Hill this fall. And so, when Hubert Davis announced his 2021-22 coaching staff, with Frederick in that familiar bench role next to new assistants Sean May and Jeff Lebo, it was obvious the eight-year veteran of the Tar Heel bench was still excited to be part of Carolina Basketball.

“I am thrilled,” Frederick said back in mid-April, “to be here.”

Having played on two Carolina Final Four teams in 1997 and 1998, Frederick is part of an all-UNC player coaching staff. And he understands why those credentials were important for Davis when filling his staff.

“I feel so fortunate to have been around Coach Smith and play for he and Coach Guthridge,” Frederick says. “What you see when you are around so many former players is that the Carolina basketball family is like no other family. There’s nothing like the bond of the Carolina family. Not only does Hubert Davis have a responsibility to the basketball program and the University, but also to the former players. That’s a big group and a passionate group. Those guys care about the success of the program, and it would be hard for someone outside to understand that.”

Frederick understands because he was part of that transitional team that bridged the Smith-Guthridge era. That means he immediately has a point of reference for all the Smith-related nuances that Davis frequently mentions.

Summer practices, for example, began at 3:31 p.m. Not 3:30, but 3:31. That’s a Guthridge quirk that the longtime assistant and three-year head coach believed helped everyone remember exactly what time they were supposed to be ready to practice.

Frederick and Davis have another similarity. The outside perception of both men mostly centers on how congenial they seem. But Frederick is well aware there’s another side to the new head coach (just as Frederick’s fiery side can occasionally be spotted on the Tar Heel bench during games).

“Everybody says what a nice guy Hubert is,” Frederick says. “What you don’t see behind the scenes is how much passion he has. Having the privilege of going into a home with Hubert when he talks about his love for Carolina—just like you heard at the press conference, it just shines through so much. But it’s also that passion, that competitive spirit he has, that you don’t get to see. Maybe it’s a halftime talk, or a talk after a game, or his work with the players where you really see that shine through.”